ITER NEWSLINE119

From Hunan Province to ITER

Ce Ye arrived from China just one month ago to participate in the ITER adventure. "I'm excited about making my own small contribution to this project," says Ce (pronounced "Tse"). "If, together, we can make it work, we will be contributing a lot to society."

Ce's specialty is quality assurance. At ITER, he'll be part of the team responsible for verifying that the quality assurance tasks assigned by ITER management have been followed to the letter. "In our field, we are used to saying that quality assurance is a little bit like the police—we do the enforcing, but we don't make the rules."

Before moving to France, Ce's professional life led him from the northern Chinese city of Dalian, where he earned a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Dalian University of Science and Technology, to the city of Zhuzhou, in south-central Hunan Province. He worked at the Zhuzhou Smelter (lead and zinc) as an interface for Danish, German and American suppliers, before becoming project manager at the Zhuzhou Times New Material (TMT) Technology Company. At TMT he was introduced to quality control for the first time, where he remembers learning "... that you can't have a good project without good quality documents."

In his last position as supplier quality engineer for the Canadian company Bombardier, Ce visited France twice on business. "In France, I've noticed a tolerance for individuality," Ce says. "People seem to appreciate each other, despite having differences of opinion ... that they express quite openly! I'm looking forward to trying new cultural experiences, and getting to know France and the French while I'm here."

That's a mission that will be made easier in a few months . Once Ce receives his "carte de séjour," he'll be able to get an international driver's license, and with that ... a car. For now, he relies on Chinese colleagues for rides back and forth from work.

During his first weeks in France, Ce has appreciated working in the "green" environment at Building 155 and the "quiet and safe" feeling of Manosque. What does he miss the most? "Family, friends, and food!" says Ce. He'll be joined in June by his wife, who currently works as a subcontractor for the Chinese Domestic Agency, and 2 ½ year old daughter. return to Newsline #119